Pineda is the star of the trade for the Yankees. At the start of 2011, Baseball America ranked him as the M's #2 prospect and #16 in baseball overall. He spent the 2011 season in the Mariners' rotation, starting 28 games. In 171 innings, he gave up only 133 hits and walked 55, for a 1.099 WHIP. He struck out 173, giving him a 3.15 K/BB ratio. He was selected to the All-Star Game and pitched the 3rd inning, going 1-2-3 with a flyball out and 2 swinging strikeouts. He finished in the AL's top 10 in WHIP (8th), hits/9 innings (5th) and K/9 innings (2nd), all in his first season in the MLB. Pineda was born in the Dominican Republic and is 22, will turn 23 next week. He is 6'7", 260, according to baseball-reference.com. Pineda is considered one of baseball's best young pitchers and instantly becomes the #2 starter the Yankees were looking for. He will be under the Yankees' control contractually for the next 5 years. Jose Campos

When Scott Boras tried his 2nd annual 'backdoor negotiations' with Hal Steinbrenner this past week (that's how he went around Cashman last winter & got the Yankees to sign Rafael Soriano), I bet he didn't realize that although he and Hal were talking about his client, Edwin Jackson, that Hal might have been thinking of Hiroki Kuroda instead. The Yankees signed Kuroda to a 1 year $10 million deal. Kuroda will turn 37 next month and has spent his entire 4-year MLB career with the Dodgers. Over the past two seasons, Kuroda has thrown 398 innings with a 1.19 WHIP and ERAs of 3.39 and 3.07. He is known as a groundball pitcher, which should play well in Yankee Stadium and with the Yankees' All-Star infielders behind him. Here are his stats. The Yankees reportedly increased their budget for Kuroda, so there will be no immediate offsetting move to reduce payroll.

Reaction--

My knee-jerk reaction was that I hated the trade with the Mariners. However when I discovered the pitcher acquired was Michael Pineda, I realized the Yankees had just upgraded their pitching rotation dramatically, although giving up the one player (Montero) that I didn't want them to give up, except for a top starter. Well, that's exactly what they did. Except for Philadelphia, Pineda can match up with any team's #2 starter. With Campos, they essentially received a younger and more talented Noesi. By moving Montero, the Yankees are paving the way for the development of C Austin Romine, who they clearly loved (he got a lot of playing time in his September callup), and it now makes it easier for them to negotiate a 2-year deal with 2011's success story, C Russell Martin, as he won't be sharing time with Montero. By signing Kuroda, you have to think there are several Yankees starters who are wondering what's going on. As of now, the Yankees have 7 starters- Sabathia, Pineda, Nova, Kuroda, Hughes, Burnett and Garcia. The first 4 names on that list appear to be set as the team's starters, and unless the Yankees planned to sign Freddie Garcia with the intention of trading him, I have to believe Garcia will be #5. That leaves Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett out. The Yankees are known to have been shopping Burnett, and were willing to eat a portion of his contract. Hughes has spent his entire professional career preparing to be a starter, but had success in 2009 in a setup role. It is possible that after his 'dead arm' episode last spring and a career filled with injuries of one sort or another, that the Yankees may no longer see him as a starter, or perhaps the Yankees intend to deal him. Either way, I personally believe the Yankees will make another move before spring training. My money is on Burnett or Hughes or both.